Yellowstone: September, 2012 Chapter 2

Day 2: Friday, Sept 28th. 6:45 AM On this particular morning, we were optimistic that we would get to see some wolves. The previous evening, we had been told that they were bedded down on the other side of the valley across the river, and planned accordingly. We drove to spot we where we were told they had been, and found a place among the other early risers hoping to catch a glimpse of the Lamar Valley Pack, or the Agate Pack, which were also in the area. Once there, I rigged up the tripod and set my camera out. The temperature was 28 F at 7:00 AM, so I sat in the car drinking coffee for a good portion of the next hour and waited for it to get light out. Nearly two hours had passed and no wolves had been spotted by anybody in the entire Lamar Valley area; at least none that we were aware of. We took a drive around the valley and to the south, looking for others who might have spotted something. This morning, a low, thick fog hugged the valley floor as the sun rose over Saddle Mountain to the northeast, burning it slowly away. Finally, after an hour or so, we had heard there was some activity at the north end of the valley. We made the 15 minute drive and came upon a horde of nearly 30 vehicles dangling off the shoulder of the highway. The Lamar Valley Pack had been spotted. Though I made several attempts to make a good photograph, the wolves were nearly 600 yards away, with no hope of getting closer. We watched them interact and mill around on and off for about 2 hours, and as the sun reached its peak in the sky, they disappeared into the pines and we drove home for lunch.